International Women's Day
16:17It's International Women's Day for another seven minutes, and I have things to say.
There are so many things that make me angry as a woman - the fact that it is still okay for businesses to pay us less than men, the fact that breastfeeding is still frowned upon, the fact that a woman in the workplace is a burden because what if she has a child and we lose our workforce, the fact that the music press still refuses to stand up against the predators that pollute our scene, the fact that this same music press still celebrate people like Attila or Matty Mullins when they are horribly sexist, the fact that some people believe that heavy music is a thing dedicated to men, just like football, really, reading sexist comments on the Metal Hammer Facebook page, day in, day out, the fact that Taylor Swift is demonised for writing about heartbreak when no one bats an eyelid when Parker Cannon does the same, the fact that Parker Cannon can get away with being sexist towards his own fans, come to think of it, having to listen to a conversation about how a Free the Nipple rally is a good occasion to see half naked women roaming about, having to tell a thirty-something man that he is being sexist when he says Linkin Park is a band for little girls, anyone that genders music, the fact that in this day and age, toys and books and board games are still gendered, the fact that my brother had to teach his goddaughters that men could like pink and have long hair too, the fact that a shocking 27% of the population thinks that if a woman gets raped, it's her fault and she had it coming, the fact that it is somehow acceptable to say that you don't like female fronted bands when you would never, ever say you don't like male fronted bands because it doesn't make any fucking sense, and the list is long and, sadly, probably endless.
But there's one main thing that I need to talk about - it's women hating on other women.
So, here's a list of friendly reminders :
So, here's a list of friendly reminders :
- Do not call a woman wearing a revealing outfit at a gig, at a night club or at the fucking supermarket for all I care a slut. Stop thinking that because you have chosen to cover your body, you're any better.
HER body, HER choice, not yours. - Do not ask a girl who has decided to follow her favourite band on tour if she's the band's own personal groupie. She is a dedicated fan who has decided to go see her favourite band five times in a week, and even if she fucked all of them every night, it still wouldn't be your place to judge what she's doing.
HER life, HER choice, not yours. - Do not ever think you have the right to have an opinion on your favourite band member's/celebrity's girlfriend. You do not have to approve of her, he is the one who is dating her, not you. Also, hating on her won't make him dump her for you.
- Do not call a woman a slut for sleeping around.
HER life, HER choice, not yours. - Do not call a woman a slut for deciding to become a nude model or a stripper or a porn actress. You're not any superior because you're a retail assistant, a baker or a sales representative.
HER life, HER career choice, not yours.
I think the outdated idea that women should act a certain way because of their gender is damaging enough as it is when it is forced upon us by men, but it is even worse when other women decide to abide by it too.
Dear women, every single time you call a girl in a revealing top a slut, you allow men to call her a slut too. Every time you demean a woman's actions, you allow men to demean her actions too. There was that big scandal when Chloe Moretz tweeted Kim Kardashian saying she had to set an example for women and it is why her nude selfie was not a good choice on her part. The only thing I want to see from women is celebration of womanhood and women telling other women that they should be free to do whatever the fuck they want, and if that comes through a nude selfie, then so be it.
Let's celebrate how different we are, how inspiring we are, how powerful we are, how talented we are.
That's it. Good night.
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